2023 has been a rollercoaster ride for Adaptavate. What started with nine employees grew to 22 great individuals who filled the year with accomplishments, recognitions, and significant strides towards a better future. We took a step forward from producing building materials to developing the needed technology for industrial change. As we bid farewell to this transformative year, let us take a moment to reflect on the key milestones that shaped our Adaptayear 2023.
Breathaboard triumph at the FIS Sustainable Innovation
Our year kicked off with a new shiny award in March. Our breathable plaster board, Breathaboard, won FIS Sustainable Innovation award.
Breathaplasta launch event and year sales
March got even more exciting as we officially launched our Breathaplasta product range. We officially welcomed Breathaplasta Thermal, Universal and Smooth into the Adaptavate family. Over 100 visitors from different professional backgrounds joined us to launch and celebrate our trio of products. And what a celebration it was!
Our Breathaplasta range sales have increased exponentially this year!
Official supplier member of BMF
In May, we announced that we were certified as an official supplier member by the Builders Merchant Federation, becoming part of an organisation with 900 member companies.
Centre for Alternative Technology visit
June began with our team embarking on an adventure: a pilgrimage of sorts to CAT, where our Founder and CEO Tom, CTO Jeff and Product Manager Owen studied. The first samples of Breathaboard were created in the Green Classroom here, so it is a special place for Adaptavators. We had a fantastic couple of days forming a strong bond as a team. Tom said:
“I left totally emotionally drained. I was completely blindsided by the depth of the impact the trip was going to have. I thought it was just another block of time, scheduled in my calendar. It was far greater than that. It consolidated everything we do, everything our team stands for, as people and Adaptavators. Together, we strive onwards, stronger for the experience, on the endeavour that calls us.”
You can read his full thoughts here.
Successful closure of £2m investment round
The year continued with ground-breaking announcements, such as the closing of our latest investment round in August. This investment round was led by Counteract, with Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2), SEMIN Group, Perivoli Innovations, and several industry experts’ participation. It built on a previous Seed round from March 2022 and subsequent support received to industrialise the development of carbon negative construction materials.
9th Adaptaversary
To make the start of autumn a bit sweeter, we celebrated Adaptavate’s 9th Birthday on 11 September. The road we have travelled so far has been one filled with determination and innovation. Whilst a lot has changed, from the logo to the location, one thing certainly remains: our purpose to lead the carbon change in construction and showcase how businesses can be a force of good in preserving our planet. We continue to be a business that does not take from the planet but is part of the planet.
Made in Britain Awards.
In November, our revolutionary Breathaboard received another accolade. This time the Made in Britain Innovation of the Year award. Additionally, our founder was highly commended as Leader of the Year. Happy though we are to celebrate this recognition, we know that the road to a decarbonised industry is long. We will not rest!
Team expansion
If you look closely at the pictures, you will notice that new faces appear left and right. In 2023, our team grew faster than ever, with 13 talented individuals joining us from all over the world, helping to bring Adaptavate’s mission to life!
PhD program with the University of Bath
Something we are very proud of is the continuous work we do in collaboration with the University of Bath. Currently, we are working with Claire Vassallo, a chemist who is doing a PhD and is helping us accelerate our work towards carbon negative products. This is a project with the University of Bath Institute for Sustainability. Her tasks comprise laboratory micro-structural and chemical characterisation of raw materials, developing prototype plasterboards, hygro-thermal performance testing of prototype plasterboard materials and life cycle analysis.
Our first online CPD
We were very excited to hold our first online CPD in November. We covered topics such as our story, Adaptavate’s mission and our solutions, including numerous case studies. We were very pleased with the turnout and are excited to offer future CPD opportunities. Close sources say that a CPD calendar for 2024 will be available soon. Watch this space.
Participation in events
Throughout the year we attended some of the biggest events in our industry. These include: NMBS Trade Exhibition, Build it Live, UK Construction Week and the Homebuilding and Renovating Show. A big thank you to everyone who showed interest in our products and technology on these inspiring and thought-provoking days. We look forward to seeing you at shows in 2024!
Adaptavate in the news
2023 has been a year for us to increase awareness about what we do. We are excited that people wanted to know more about us, our mission, and our plans for the future. Explore the links below to learn more about what they say about us:
Scaling the future of carbon negative materials
Developer and Housebilder Yearbook
Construction Disrupted - Decarbonisation - Episode 20 | Tom Robinson
Pilot line commissioning
We are currently in the final stages of commissioning our pilot line in Bristol. This is key to develop and manufacture carbon negative wallboard materials at a larger scale so that we can licence this industry-changing technology to the world’s largest building product manufacturers. Stay tuned because more news on this is coming soon!